Review: Magpie Murders

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So good I don't even have words.
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Okay, I found some words.

As made clear by others, and even the publisher's description, this clever book is really a novel within a novel, and it all pays homage to the great mystery writers--Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The intricate, complex plotting, and the ways in which everything comes together, is amazing.

I had the privilege of meeting Anthony Horowitz ("only my son calls me Tony") at a dinner (thank you Harper Collins!) recently, and I admit that the experience added to my love of the book. I really only knew him by reputation, and I had only just started the book at the time (although it really grabs you from page one). He's incredibly sharp, super-smart, and wonderfully knowledgeable about books and writing. It turns out, he had the idea for Magpie Murders years ago. Horo witz developed several British mystery series like Foyle's War and Midsomer Murders, and he shared that in the second episode of Midsomer Murders, way back, you can see a character reading Magpie Murders. He was not a reader early on but came to reading as something of an escape, and I love that he now has a huge interest in getting kids to read. And, he told us that the answer is on the first page. Figure that out.

Having the opportunity to meet the author definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book, but I would have loved it anyway. It's gentle but smart, easy to understand (once you get the concept of the novel in a novel and a few characters straight) yet intricately plotted, displays depth to the characters without distracting from motivations. I was right there, in a small, English town, meeting quirky people who all had something to hide.

Agatha Christie would have been proud.

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